Client Spotlight: Debra Roberts, LCSW, is an author, conversation expert, and founder of The Relationship Protocol, a communication model that revolutionizes how we live and work together. An Authority Accelerator client and Inc.com columnist, she recently published 4 Steps to Address Anxiety While Serving as a Role Model for Your Team.

Well, hello, ,

When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone?

For me, it was yesterday.

Two weeks ago, my coach-turned-friend, Jason Van Orden, issued a challenge on LinkedIn. Okay, so I considered it a challenge (mostly because I didn't want to do it), but it was more of an invitation.

You see, he's been digging into the best ways to use LinkedIn to build your business. According to the LinkedIn lead-generation experts Jason follows, audio and video get less engagement than text posts but do a much better job of attracting and identifying clients. And so, he invited folks to join him in experimenting with these formats.

My inner toddler pitched a fit.

I'm a writer! Writers write! I don't need no stinkin' video!

When my inner toddler makes that much of a fuss, chances are I need to take a closer look and figure out what is causing such a strong reaction. Because making a decision based on a temper tantrum is not making a deliberate choice. It's simply appeasing your inner toddler.

And so I agreed to an experiment. I will post one video every two weeks for three months, starting this week and ending the week of May 20. If, at the end of those three months, I believe that people found the videos valuable, I will continue the experiment. If I believe people found the videos valuable and I actually enjoyed making them, I'll post a video every week for the next three months.

At the end of six months, I will ask myself three questions:

1. Does it appear that the videos are providing real value?

2. Are you having fun making the videos?

3. Is your posting schedule sustainable?

If the videos don't appear to be valuable, or if I'm not having any fun making them, I will end the experiment. Otherwise, I'll make whatever adjustments are needed and keep going!

Sometimes, we need to step out of our comfort zones and try something new. For many of us, being more visible is terrifying.

While I am very comfortable sharing my insights in writing, I'm not at all comfortable with video. I have no idea why. I'm on Zoom alllllllllll the time, and my opinionated little self regularly speaks up at networking events and as a guest on podcasts or livestreams.

And yet, I nearly talked myself out of doing my first video.

This type of video makes me feel much more exposed and vulnerable. It makes me feel out of control — like I'm voluntarily opening myself up to criticism.

And perhaps that's the point.

Because that is exactly how many of my clients feel when they start writing for high-visibility publications. They feel exposed. Anxious. Uncertain.

Yeah.

I get that.

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"In the cause of silence, each of us draws the face of her own fear — fear of contempt, of censure, or some judgment, or recognition, of challenge, of annihilation. But most of all, I think, we fear the visibility without which we cannot truly live.... And that visibility which makes us most vulnerable is that which also is the source of our greatest strength."

~ Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

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Join the Conversation

What holds you back from sharing a contrarian opinion?

In this LinkedIn post, I shared my very first video and a few of the benefits that come from publicly disagreeing with others. Disagreeing with others is one way to add to the conversation instead of the noise. And disagreement doesn't have to be disrespectful. Join the conversation.

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Recommended Resource

The SOAR Model™

Before you write your next article, conduct a SOAR analysis. Why? Because it will help you define a clear focus for your piece. After all, writing is not about the ink; it's about the think. And much of the think is determining what you're going to write about and how you will write it. Get your copy.

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Featured Appearance

Livestream: Engaging Virtual Meetings

Livestreams are always surprising, and I love that lack of predictability! In this conversation with John Chen, we talked about everything from incremental improvement to experiments, my TEDx talk, the power of perspective, and the shenanigans so prevalent in the publishing world. Take a listen!

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Upcoming Events

Pitched to Published™ 

Interested in learning how to pitch, write, and publish articles for industry trade journals and high-visibility publications? Join me Wednesday, March 13, at 11:55 AM Eastern for a free mini-training on defining your body of work, followed by a Q+A. Register here.

The Visibility Clinics

Next week, I'm attending another of Chloé Nwangwu's free Visibility Clinics. This time, she's talking about how we end up in the visibility friend zone and what we can do about it. It's all going down Wednesday, February 28, at 2 PM Eastern. Interested? Register here.

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That's all for now.

If you'd like to talk about how we can work together to build your authority by writing for high-visibility publications, book a call. 

I'll see you in a couple of weeks!

Take good care,

P.S. Do you have a podcast? Are you part of a community of consultants? I'd love to teach your community how to build their authority by writing for high-visibility publications. Interested? Reply to this email, and let's talk!